Health Insurance Store Opens in the Poconos

If you`re looking for health insurance for yourself, your family or employees, you can now go to a store to shop around in the Poconos.

Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania opened its first healthcare retail store in the northeast.

It’s called the “Blue Cross Store” and it’s located outside Stroudsburg on Route 611.

Inside you can research, learn and buy health insurance for you, your family or employees.

“Health insurance is changing and so we started thinking how would people most appropriately have a channel they could reach coverage and we want to give them the best channel,” said Paul Holdren of Blue Cross of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

Blue Cross officials chose this location because of the population.

As for the retail store concept, officials said it’s a new trend.

“We felt that some people want that more traditional approach of being able to come in and talk to someone and ask their questions,” said Holdren.

Inside the Blue Cross Store, you can sit down with a representative or start your own research at one of their computers. If you have any questions while researching, a representative will be nearby to help.

On its grand opening, the store was starting to fill with people asking for information about health insurance.

Tom Buckley of Effort is one of the many who dropped by, with questions about coverage for his wife.

“I already have coverage. But her’s is going to end in October and I need to get a better rate. That’s what brought me here,” said Buckley.

Dennis Jeter is the owner of “Your Website To Go”, a local business that creates websites for companies.

Jeter is looking for the best health insurance for his employees and himself.

Right now his employees find their health insurance and the company pays half the cost.

“A store, like this, I think, is really cool because when I get a new hire or any of my employees are interested in health insurance, it’s easy to point them here,” said Jeter.

The Blue Cross Store is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Officials said they have plans on expanding hours and stores.